Scottish Executive

Adult Literacy

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when local authorities will receive details of the initiative to support adult literacy projects which was announced on 2 July 2001.

Ms Wendy Alexander: Circular ELLD 1/01, containing the details, was issued to local authorities on 17 July 2001.

Adult Literacy

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how voluntary bodies will benefit in the current financial year from its adult literacy initiative announced on 2 July 2001.

Ms Wendy Alexander: I announced that £18.5 million is being allocated through local authorities to Community Learning Strategy Partnerships over the next three years, including £2.7 million in the current financial year, to raise levels of adult literacy and numeracy in Scotland.

  Circular ELLD 1/01, issued on 17 July, makes clear that all local providers of adult literacy, including voluntary organisations, should have access to the new funding. All providers will need to demonstrate clearly their ability to make effective use of the funding and it will be for Community Learning Strategy Partnerships to decide and demonstrate collectively how the resources can be used to provide best value.

Caledonian MacBrayne

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the answer to question S1W-16345 by Sarah Boyack on 2 July 2001 represents its collective position.

Sarah Boyack: Yes.

Caledonian MacBrayne

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to sell any of its equity in Caledonian MacBrayne.

Sarah Boyack: I refer the member to the answer I gave on 2 July 2001 to question S1W-16345.

Child Poverty

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how it reconciles the figure of 70,000 children lifted out of poverty given by the First Minister on 1 February 2001 in the debate on Working together for Scotland: A Programme for Government (Official Report, col.807) with the statement in the latest Households below average income survey by the Department of Works and Pensions that child poverty has fallen by 1% in Scotland since 1997.

Jackie Baillie: The First Minister’s remarks on children in poverty referred to the change in the estimated number of children living in low income households between 1996-97 and 1998-99, a more detailed explanation of which was given in answer to question S1W-13002. The drop of one percentage point referred to in the question relates to the percentage point difference in the proportion of children in low income households in Scotland between 1997-98 and the latest 1999-2000 figures. The Households below average income survey results demonstrate steady progress in reducing the proportion of children living in low income households.

Council Tax

Mr Keith Harding (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to redefine council tax bandings to take account of house price inflation.

Peter Peacock: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-13768 on 14 March 2001.

Electricity

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the value was of the 10,568 gigawatt-hours of electricity transferred to England and Wales in 1999-2000, as shown in Key Scottish Environment Statistics.

Ms Wendy Alexander: This is commercial information, and as such is a matter for the power companies concerned.

Energy Efficiency

Fiona McLeod (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide a detailed breakdown of the Energy Efficiency budget for each year from 2000-01 to 2003-04, as referred to in Table 4.10 of The Scottish Budget .

Rhona Brankin: The breakdown requested is as follows (£ million):

  


Description 
  

2000-01 
  

2001-02 
  

2002-03 
  

2003-04 
  



Energy Saving Trust – domestic energy efficiency programmes 
  in Scotland 
  

2.140 
  

2.140 
  

2.140 
  

2.140 
  



CCL Receipts – business energy efficiency with carbon trust 
  and renewable energy programmes 
  

N/A 
  

4.700 
  

2.000 
  

3.000 
  



Scottish Energy Efficiency Office – promotion and marketing 
  

0.081 
  

1.081 
  

1.081 
  

1.081 
  



Total 
  

2.221 
  

7.921 
  

5.221 
  

6.221

Environment

Fiona McLeod (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what targets it has set within the Scottish Climate Change Programme for the reduction of carbon emissions and how it will assess whether these targets have been met.

Rhona Brankin: As stated in the Scottish Climate Change Programme, the absence of Scottish emissions data, both historical and projected, and the complexities involved in monitoring the effects of both reserved and devolved policies means that Scottish reduction targets are not currently practical. The Executive is working with the UK Government to improve and expand on available Scottish data and, once a robust set of data is available, we will consider whether a Scottish target would be an appropriate response measure.

Environment

Fiona McLeod (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what finance will be available for the Scottish Climate Change Programme in 2001-02, 2002-03 and 2003-04.

Rhona Brankin: We are committed to placing the environment and climate change at the heart of policy-making across the Executive. In recognition of this, the policies in the Scottish Climate Change Programme (SCCP) cut across a number of different areas and, whilst the main driver may not necessarily be climate change, they will deliver greenhouse gas emissions reductions. The SCCP, available on the Executive’s website at www.scotland.gov.uk/library3/environment/ccm.pdf, includes detail of planned and actual expenditure in a number of these policy areas. For example, we have allocated £2.14 million for each of the three years 2001-02 to 2003-04 for the activities of the Energy Saving Trust to stimulate energy efficiency savings, a core part of the SCCP. That expenditure will, however, bring social and economic benefits as well as reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Environment

Fiona McLeod (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive by what means it is intended, through the Scottish Climate Change Programme, to reduce carbon emissions.

Rhona Brankin: The Scottish Climate Change Programme seeks to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through a variety of voluntary, regulatory and educational measures.

Finance

Brian Adam (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive where in the sports and culture level 3 budget the savings of £2 million planned for 2002-03 and 2003-04 will be made and what effect these savings will have on programmes funded by this budget.

Allan Wilson: There is a net addition over the three years. But there will be a variety of small changes in 2003-04.

Forestry

Mr Murray Tosh (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-9098 by John Home Robertson on 7 September 2000, how it will ensure, under its finalised Scottish Forestry Strategy, that the Forestry Commission exercises effective controls to ensure necessary clearance of naturally regenerating woodland which could adversely affect scheduled ancient monuments in its own and in privately owned forests.

Rhona Brankin: For the Forestry Commission’s own forests, Forest Enterprise has agreed management plans with Historic Scotland for all scheduled ancient monuments on the Commission’s land. Each plan contains a programme for positive management, including regular monitoring and controlling regeneration as appropriate. For privately owned forests, the Forestry Commission will only approve management plans if they contain satisfactory proposals for safeguarding any scheduled ancient monuments covered by the plan.

General Practitioners

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what studies have recently been undertaken into GPs’ workload.

Susan Deacon: A number of areas of current work cover aspects of GP workload. They are as follows:

  
The National Primary Care Research and Development Centre 
  in Manchester is currently undertaking a survey which covers 
  GP workload and which will have the ability to compare the position 
  in Scotland with the rest of the UK
The Remote And Rural Areas Resource Initiative (RARARI) is 
  currently looking at recruitment and retention in remote and 
  rural areas
An initiative looking at reducing bureaucracy has identified 
  a number of areas where workload and bureaucracy can be reduced 
  and we are currently taking these forward with the Scottish 
  General Practitioners Committee of the BMA
Continuous Morbidity Recording (CMR) is an on-going information 
  system which feeds back regular data on workload issues such 
  as face to face clinical contacts between GPs and patients.

Genetically Modified Crops

Brian Adam (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list all farms and farmers who have participated in the GM crop trials.

Ross Finnie: Consent for individual sites to participate in the farm scale evaluation programme is held by Aventis CropScience and not individual farmers. The Scottish Executive holds detailed map references of all sites and gives these wide publicity but does not hold information about the ownership of individual sites.

Genetically Modified Crops

Brian Adam (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will detail all payments made to farmers who have participated in the GM crop trials.

Ross Finnie: No payments have been made by the Scottish Executive to farmers for participating in GM crop trials.

  Contractual arrangements between the farmer and the biotech company are an entirely private matter.

Health

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the cost has been to the NHS of providing paracetomol on prescription in each of the last five years.

Susan Deacon: The table below sets out the cost to NHSScotland of paracetomol dispensed in the community over the period 1995-96 to 1999-2000.

  


Financial Year 
  

Gross Ingredient Cost (£) 
  

Dispensing Fees (£) 
  

Total Cost (£) 
  



1995-96 
  

740,522 
  

721,494 
  

1,462,016 
  



1996-97 
  

744,958 
  

717,107 
  

1,462,065 
  



1997-98 
  

746,841 
  

710,215 
  

1,457,056 
  



1998-99 
  

805,643 
  

749,800 
  

1,555,443 
  



1999-2000 
  

952,438 
  

837,261 
  

1,789,699

Health

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the current average waiting time is for an appointment to see a dermatologist in (a) each health board area and (b) Scotland as a whole.

Susan Deacon: The median waiting time for a first out-patient appointment with a consultant in dermatology, following referral by a general medical practitioner, in the year ended 30 June 2001, by health board of residence, is provided in the table.

  NHS Scotland: Median Waiting Times for a First Out-patient Appointment with a Consultant in Dermatology, Following Referral by a General Medical Practitioner, by Health Board of Residence: Year Ended 30 June 2001.

  


Health Board 
  

Median Wait (days)1




Argyll and Clyde 
  

62 
  



Ayrshire and Arran 
  

91 
  



Borders 
  

68 
  



Dumfries and Galloway 
  

31 
  



Fife 
  

61 
  



Forth Valley 
  

114 
  



Grampian 
  

120 
  



Greater Glasgow 
  

56 
  



Highland 
  

44 
  



Lanarkshire 
  

60 
  



Lothian 
  

71 
  



Orkney 
  

43 
  



Shetland 
  

45 
  



Tayside 
  

29 
  



Western Isles 
  

35 
  



Scotland 
  

60 
  



  Source: ISD, Scotland.

  Notes:

  1. Provisional.

Health

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people are currently on waiting lists to see dermatologists in (a) each health board area and (b) Scotland as a whole.

Susan Deacon: Information on waiting lists is collected centrally only for hospital in-patient/day case treatment.

  The number of patients on the in-patient/day case waiting list in the specialty of dermatology on 31 March 2001, by health board of residence, is given in the table.

  NHS Scotland: Number of Patients on In-patient/Day Case Waiting List in Specialty of Dermatology on 31 March 2001, by Health Board of Residence.

  


Health Board Of Residence 
  

Number Of Patients 
  



Argyll and Clyde 
  

88 
  



Ayrshire and Arran 
  

10 
  



Borders 
  

0 
  



Dumfries and Galloway 
  

0 
  



Fife 
  

3 
  



Forth Valley 
  

0 
  



Grampian 
  

17 
  



Greater Glasgow 
  

1 
  



Highland 
  

15 
  



Lanarkshire 
  

1 
  



Lothian 
  

9 
  



Orkney 
  

0 
  



Shetland 
  

0 
  



Tayside 
  

1 
  



Western Isles 
  

3 
  



Scotland 
  

148 
  



  Source: ISD, Scotland.

Health

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the provision of dermatologists is in each health board area, expressed (a) numerically and (b) per capita.

Susan Deacon: The information requested is shown in the following table, which should be read in conjunction with the notes below. In particular, the figures do not reflect directly the availability of dermatology services, because in many instances doctors employed in one health board area also provide service in another. It should also be noted that at March 2001 the number of posts for Specialist Registrars currently training for a Certificate of Completion of Specialist Training (CCST) in dermatology was increased from 14 to 17, a rise of 21% in the last year. Further information on the current Specialist Registrar establishment is contained in NHS HDL(2001) 63, which was published on 30 July 2001. A copy of this is available in the Parliament’s reference centre (Bib. no. 15193).

  Dermatology Staff Employed by NHS Scotland by Health Board Whole Time Equivalent at 30 September 2000P

  

 

WTE 
  

WTE per 100,000 population 
  



Total 
  

Consultants 
  

Training Grades 
  

Other Grades 
  

Total 
  

Consultants 
  

Training Grades 
  

Other Grades 
  



Scotland 
  

95.9 
  

44.5 
  

39.1 
  

12.3 
  

1.9 
  

0.9 
  

0.8 
  

0.2 
  



Argyll & Clyde 
  

6.4 
  

2.0 
  

3.0 
  

1.4 
  

1.5 
  

0.5 
  

0.7 
  

0.3 
  



Ayrshire & Arran 
  

4.9 
  

3.0 
  

1.0 
  

0.9 
  

1.3 
  

0.8 
  

0.3 
  

0.2 
  



Borders 
  

- 
  

- 
  

- 
  

- 
  

- 
  

- 
  

- 
  

- 
  



Dumfries & Galloway 
  

1.2 
  

1.0 
  

- 
  

0.2 
  

0.8 
  

0.7 
  

- 
  

0.1 
  



Fife 
  

3.8 
  

1.6 
  

1.0 
  

1.2 
  

1.1 
  

0.5 
  

0.3 
  

0.3 
  



Forth Valley 
  

2.5 
  

2.0 
  

- 
  

0.5 
  

0.9 
  

0.7 
  

- 
  

0.2 
  



Grampian 
  

9.4 
  

3.6 
  

5.7 
  

0.1 
  

1.8 
  

0.7 
  

1.1 
  

0.0 
  



Greater Glasgow 
  

26.2 
  

11.3 
  

13.6 
  

1.4 
  

2.9 
  

1.2 
  

1.5 
  

0.2 
  



Highland 
  

2.9 
  

2.0 
  

- 
  

0.9 
  

1.4 
  

1.0 
  

- 
  

0.5 
  



Lanarkshire 
  

10.5 
  

4.8 
  

3.0 
  

2.6 
  

1.9 
  

0.9 
  

0.5 
  

0.5 
  



Lothian 
  

13.9 
  

6.4 
  

4.6 
  

2.9 
  

1.8 
  

0.8 
  

0.6 
  

0.4 
  



Orkney 
  

- 
  

- 
  

- 
  

- 
  

- 
  

- 
  

- 
  

- 
  



Shetland 
  

- 
  

- 
  

- 
  

- 
  

- 
  

- 
  

- 
  

- 
  



Tayside 
  

14.0 
  

6.7 
  

7.2 
  

0.1 
  

3.6 
  

1.7 
  

1.9 
  

0.0 
  



Western Isles 
  

0.0 
  

- 
  

- 
  

0.0 
  

0.2 
  

- 
  

- 
  

0.2 
  



  Notes:

  1. Source: Medical and Dental Census, ISD Scotland; Registrar General for Scotland.

  2. Staffing information at 30 September 2000 is provisional.

  3. Training grades comprise house officers, senior house officer, registrars, senior registrars and specialist registrars.

  4. Other grades comprise associate specialists, staff grades, hospital practitioners and para. 94 appointments.

  5. Rates per 100,000 population are based on 2,000 population mid-year estimates as at 30 June. Population data is obtained from the Registrar General for Scotland.

  6. The WTE per population rate does not take into account those doctors who see patients from outwith their health board area as part of agreed service provision.

  7. The information shown is the value on 30 September 2000 and does not necessarily represent average staffing levels throughout the year.

Justice

Mr Lloyd Quinan (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with the Italian Government regarding exchanging information about anti-globalisation activists.

Mr Jim Wallace: None. The Scottish Executive does not, as a matter of course, deal with exchanges of information with other countries about individuals who might be described as activists.

Justice

Mr Lloyd Quinan (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when it last met a representative or representatives of the Ministry of Defence police and what issues were discussed.

Mr Jim Wallace: The Scottish Executive has regular contact with the Ministry of Defence police about a range of issues, the most recent of which concerned proposals in the Armed Forces Bill considered by the previous UK Parliament for extending their jurisdiction.

Justice

Mr Lloyd Quinan (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has exchanged with UK and foreign security organisations regarding activists without criminal or civil convictions.

Mr Jim Wallace: The Scottish Executive does not, as a matter of course, exchange information with other organisations about individuals who might be described as activists.

Justice

Mr Lloyd Quinan (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive with which organisations and countries it exchanges information regarding anti-nuclear activists.

Mr Jim Wallace: The Scottish Executive does not, as a matter of course, exchange information with other organisations or countries about individuals who might be described as activists.

Ministers

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive to what extent the Chancellor of the Exchequer is consulted on, or otherwise involved in, policy issues.

Angus MacKay: Scottish ministers work closely and constructively with their counterparts in the UK Government and, to that end, have regular discussions with United Kingdom ministers on a wide range of subjects.

Nuclear Submarines

Colin Campbell (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-16249 by Rhona Brankin on 27 June 2001, what meetings have taken place between it or the Scottish Environment Protection Agency and the Ministry of Defence or any other department of Her Majesty’s Government on suitable sites for the land storage of cut-out reactors from redundant nuclear submarines and when sites are expected to be selected.

Rhona Brankin: The Scottish Executive is in regular contact with the Ministry of Defence (MOD) on a wide range of issues. This includes the Interim Storage of Laid-up Submarines study, but such discussions have not included potential land storage sites. I understand that the MOD expects to invite industry to bring forward land storage proposals early next year. Only then would possible sites emerge.

  Discussions between the MOD and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency and other Government Departments are matters for those bodies.

Police

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the percentage of female officers was at each rank within each Scottish police force and within the Scottish Crime Squad at 31 March 2001.

Mr Jim Wallace: The information is provided in the following table, which shows the position as at 31 March 2001.

  


 


Chief Constable
% 
  

Asst.
CC
% 
  

Super-intendent
% 
  

Chief
Inspector
% 
  

Inspector
% 
  

Sergeant
% 
  

Constable
% 
  



Central 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

9.1 
  

2.7 
  

7.2 
  

17.6 
  



D&G 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

10 
  

4.3 
  

22.4 
  



Fife 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

8.3 
  

2.6 
  

3.5 
  

19.7 
  



Grampian 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

9.5 
  

2.4 
  

11.1 
  

21.7 
  



L&B 
  

0 
  

0 
  

6.7 
  

8.7 
  

4.5 
  

8.1 
  

19.3 
  



Northern 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

2.9 
  

6.2 
  

19.9 
  



Strathclyde 
  

0 
  

16.7 
  

5.1 
  

7.4 
  

4.2 
  

7.5 
  

20.5 
  



Tayside 
  

0 
  

0 
  

6.3 
  

12.5 
  

3.6 
  

7.5 
  

22.5 
  



SCS 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

10.5 
  

13.7

Police

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the percentage of officers from ethnic minority groups was at each rank within each Scottish police force and within the Scottish Crime Squad at 31 March 2001.

Mr Jim Wallace: The information is shown in the following table. The figures in brackets are the number of officers. There are no officers from ethnic minority groups in the ranks above Inspector.

  


 


Inspector % 
  

Sergeant % 
  

Constable % 
  



Central 
  

0 
  

0.9 (1) 
  

0.2 (1) 
  



Dumfries and Galloway 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0.3 (1) 
  



Fife 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0.6 (4) 
  



Grampian 
  

1.2 (1) 
  

0 
  

0.3 (3) 
  



Lothian and Borders 
  

1.5 (2) 
  

0 
  

0.8 (16) 
  



Northern 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0.6 (3) 
  



Strathclyde 
  

0 
  

0.4 (4) 
  

0.9 (51) 
  



Tayside 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0.3 (3) 
  



SCS 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0.93 (1)

Public Transport

Dr Sylvia Jackson (Stirling) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it has taken to ensure that bus and rail timetables are integrated and easily available.

Sarah Boyack: Making it work together - A programme for government , published in September 1999, stated that we would establish the framework for a national transport timetable system by end 1999, and implement it by end 2000. Traveline (Scotland) became operational on 3 January 2001. This national public transport information system provides route and timetable information for bus, coach, underground, train, ferry and Scottish internal air services through a single national-rate call.

  Transport operators and local authorities have worked in partnership to deliver Traveline (Scotland), with the support of the Scottish Executive. Traveline will form part of the GB Transport Direct initiative, to which we are committed. Transport Direct will be a phone and internet system to allow people to plan their journeys, to compare routes and prices and to purchase tickets.

Rail Services

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with ScotRail concerning the Glasgow north/south CrossRail scheme.

Sarah Boyack: The development of local transport initiatives is the responsibility of the relevant local authority, and in the case of the Strathclyde area, SPTE. No approach has been made to the Scottish Executive by SPTE for funds or support for this project. On this basis, any discussion with ScotRail at this stage would serve no purpose.

Rail Services

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what financial support it plans to make available for the Glasgow north/south CrossRail scheme.

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it plans to take to facilitate progress of the Glasgow north/south CrossRail scheme.

Sarah Boyack: The Scottish Executive is prepared to consider all public transport initiatives that will bring improved services to the public. The Glasgow north/south Crossrail scheme is the responsibility of Strathclyde Passenger Transport Executive, and it is up to it to take matters forward and bid for funds. No approach has been made to the Scottish Executive by SPTE for financial support for the scheme.

Renewable Energy

Fiona McLeod (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide a detailed breakdown of the budget for the Scottish Renewables Obligation for each year from 2000-01 to 2003-04, as referred to in Table 4.10 of The Scottish Budget .

Rhona Brankin: The budget provision shown against the Scottish Renewables Obligation (SRO) is to cover the Fossil Fuel Levy in Scotland, which is set by the energy regulator each year to cover the cost of renewable energy projects operating under the SRO. The levy in the current year is 1.2% and is expected to rise to 2.1% over the next three years as more SRO projects are built and their costs fall to be met by the levy. That is why the provision shown in the budget rises over the next three years.

  However, this is not a cash provision, as the Fossil Fuel Levy is levied on all electricity suppliers by the energy regulator Ofgem, and used to offset the above market cost of renewable energy projects under the SRO. There is no Government cash expenditure involved.

Renewable Energy

Bruce Crawford (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether hydro-electric power will be classified as renewable energy under the new Renewables Obligation (Scotland) and when the Renewables Obligation (Scotland) will be announced.

Rhona Brankin: Responses to our initial consultation on the Renewables Obligation (Scotland), or ROS, raised concerns about the future of Scotland’s existing large hydro stations.

  We have accepted that additional support was required and have successfully argued that case with colleagues in the UK Government. I was therefore able to announce recently that we will extend support under ROS to refurbished hydro stations up to 20 megawatts in size, and also to support the building of new hydro stations of any size, subject to their obtaining the necessary consents. This additional support will secure continuation of the refurbishment of Scotland’s existing large hydro stations, and represents good news for the engineering jobs dependent on that refurbishment work.

  Our final statutory consultation on the ROS was published on 3 August, and is available in the Parliament’s reference centre.

Road Safety

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to improve safety at the road/rail level crossing at Cornton, Stirling.

Sarah Boyack: Under Schedule 5 of the Scotland Act 1998, the provision and regulation of railway services, which includes railway safety, are reserved matters. They are the responsibility of the Department of Transport, Local Government and the Regions (DTLR) within the UK Government.

  The Scottish Executive, however, is in regular contact with DTLR, the Health and Safety Executive and their Railways Inspectorate, Railtrack, the Rail Regulator and the British Transport Police on matters relating to rail safety in Scotland.

Road Safety

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many personal injury accidents occurred on the A92 between Tayport and Glenrothes in each of the past five years.

Sarah Boyack: The number of personal injury accidents in each of the last five years (1996-2000) on the A92 between Tayport and Glenrothes is as follows:

  


Year 
  

Fatal 
  

Serious 
  

Slight 
  

Total 
  



1996 
  

1 
  

16 
  

13 
  

30 
  



1997 
  

3 
  

11 
  

20 
  

34 
  



1998 
  

3 
  

8 
  

20 
  

31 
  



1999 
  

1 
  

3 
  

19 
  

23 
  



2000 
  

1 
  

9 
  

29 
  

39 
  



Total 
  

9 
  

47 
  

101 
  

157

Road Safety

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many road accidents occurred on the Stirling to Ballat Cross stretch of the A811 during the period 1990 to 1994.

Sarah Boyack: Data about injury road accidents are collected by the police and reported to the Scottish Executive using the STATS 19 statistical report form. These returns cover only road accidents in which one or more people were injured: they do not cover damage-only accidents.

  The following table gives the numbers of road accidents which were identified in the STATS 19 returns as occurring on the A811 between its junction with the A81 and the centre of Stirling over the period 1990 to 1994 inclusive.

  It should be noted that the statistics provided are based upon the data which are held in the central statistical database and which were collected by the police at the time of the accident and subsequently reported to the Executive. They may differ from any figures which the local authority would provide now, because they do not take account of any subsequent changes or corrections that the local authority may have made to the statistical information, for use at local level, about the location of each accident, based upon its knowledge of the road and area concerned.

  


Year 
  

Injury road accidents which occurred on 
  the A811 between its junction with the A81 and Stirling 
  



1990 
  

19 
  



1991 
  

15 
  



1992 
  

22 
  



1993 
  

11 
  



1994 
  

16

Road Safety

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-16843 by Sarah Boyack on 3 August 2001, how many road accidents have occurred on the Stirling to Ballat Cross stretch of the A811 in 2001 to date.

Sarah Boyack: Data about injury road accidents are collected by the police and reported to the Scottish Executive using the STATS 19 statistical report form. These returns cover only road accidents in which one or more people were injured: they do not cover damage-only accidents.

  STATS 19 returns have so far been received for the period from January to May 2001 inclusive. During that period four injury road accidents were identified as occurring on the A811 between its junction with the A81 and the centre of Stirling. This is a provisional figure as there may be additional injury accidents which occurred in those months but for which returns have not yet been received.

  It should be noted that this figure is based upon the data which are held in the central statistical database and which were collected by the police at the time of the accident and subsequently reported to the Executive. It may differ from any figure which the local authority would provide now, because it does not take account of any subsequent changes or corrections that the local authority may have made to the statistical information, for use at local level, about the location of each accident, based upon its knowledge of the road and area concerned.

Waste Management

Fiona McLeod (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what extra funding has been or will be made available to each local authority for consultation on and implementation of Area Waste Plans, as referred to in chapter 10 of The Scottish Budget: Annual Expenditure Report of the Scottish Executive .

Rhona Brankin: £2.5 million was allocated between local authorities as part of the agreed local authority settlement in 2000-01, for planning and preparation for implementation of the National Waste Strategy. In 2001-02, this amount was included within the waste management grant-aided expenditure figure, although it is for authorities to determine their actual level of expenditure.

  Additional grant-in-aid has also been announced for the Scottish Environment Protection Agency to take account of the duties that will fall to it in fulfilling the Executive’s Programme for Government commitments. This includes the implementation of the National Waste Strategy and assistance with the preparation of the Area Waste Plans.

Waste Management

Fiona McLeod (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what support it is giving to waste initiatives, including those for recycling paper, as referred to in chapter 10 of The Scottish Budget: Annual Expenditure Report of the Scottish Executive .

Rhona Brankin: The Scottish Executive was involved with instigating the REMADE Scotland project which aims to encourage markets for recycled materials and has contributed £50,000 support each year since its inception in 1999. In addition, the Executive has agreed to contribute £2.1 million over three years towards the national Waste and Resources Action Plan set up to help overcome barriers to recycling. Both of these projects will be addressing problems of recycling several types of material, including paper.

Waste Management

Fiona McLeod (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what initiatives have been introduced, or are planned for introduction, to make waste management more sustainable.

Rhona Brankin: The National Waste Strategy: Scotland was published by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency and adopted by the Scottish Executive in December 1999. The strategy sets out the framework to make waste management in Scotland more sustainable and to meet targets for reducing the reliance on landfill for waste disposal. Implementation of the strategy is now being taken forward.

  The Executive has introduced several initiatives to help take forward implementation of the strategy and thereby to make waste management more sustainable. These include:

  making an additional £3 million available as a specific grant in 2000-01 for local authorities to increase recycling and composting;

  making £50.4 million available through the Strategic Waste Fund for local authorities to begin implementation of the Area Waste Plans - which are currently being prepared, and

  support for the REMADE Scotland and Waste and Resource Action Programmes which aim to develop markets for recyclable materials and break down barriers to recycling.

Waste Management

Bruce Crawford (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many local authorities currently dispose of all or part of their waste streams through incineration.

Rhona Brankin: Four local authorities currently dispose of part of their waste streams through incineration – Dundee City, Angus, Shetland Islands and Orkney Islands.

Waste Management

Bruce Crawford (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many waste incinerators it currently licenses; who the operators of these incinerators are; where each is located, and what amount of waste, in tonnes, has been incinerated at each plant in each of the last five years.

Rhona Brankin: This is an operational matter for the Scottish Environment Protection Agency which licenses waste incinerators; information on waste incinerator licences is available on public registers held by the agency.

Waste Management

Bruce Crawford (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it plans to take in the light of recent safety and environmental issues at the Baldovie incinerator in Dundee.

Rhona Brankin: Environmental and safety regulation of specific sites are matters for the Scottish Environment Protection Agency and the Health and Safety Executive. The Scottish Executive recognises the continuing public concerns over the possible health effects of emissions from incinerators, particularly dioxins and heavy metals. To address these concerns, a number of recent epidemiological studies have investigated the incidence of various diseases in populations likely to be affected by these emissions. However, no convincing evidence of any such link has been established. The University of Dundee is currently carrying out a further epidemiological study and I await the findings of this.

Water Authorities

Fiona McLeod (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what finance it is making available to the water authorities in 2001-02, specifying any resources ring-fenced for specific purposes including meeting statutory requirements, and what their external financial limits are.

Ross Finnie: The finance being made available to the water authorities is set out in the latest Annual Expenditure Report of the Scottish Executive. In addition, £10 million is to be made available for the water charges relief scheme. Under resource budgeting, external financing limits are no longer set.

Water Charges

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when the measures to address the impact of rises in water and sewerage charges on people with low income will be operational.

Ross Finnie: Local authorities have now completed changes to their billing software, and have begun rebilling beneficiaries of the Water and Sewerage Charges Reduction Scheme. Rebilling is expected to be completed by October. Reductions will be backdated to 1 April 2001 where appropriate.